Criminal Justice Contact and Relapse Among Patients Seeking Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

• Date: 01 January 2018
• Author: Steven W. Lawson,Albert M. Kopak,Norman G. Hoffmann
• DOI: 10.1177/0022042617740911
• Published date: 01 January 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0022042617740911

Journal of Drug Issues

2018, Vol. 48(1) 134 –147

© The Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/0022042617740911

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Article

Criminal Justice Contact and

Relapse Among Patients Seeking

Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Albert M. Kopak1, Steven W. Lawson1,

and Norman G. Hoffmann2

Abstract

The rapid rise in opioid use has recently contributed to several pressing concerns, including

an unprecedented number of fatal overdoses, a marked increase in treatment admissions, a

spike in emergency department visits, and a significant proportion of adults who test positive

for opioids at the time of arrest. The majority of arrestees who test positive for opioids after

being booked into jail also report prior engagement with a substance use treatment program,

highlighting the need to address posttreatment substance use and involvement in the criminal

justice system. The current study was conducted to untangle the posttreatment substance use–

arrest relationship and better understand how one may influence the other. Analyses conducted

with 396 adults, drawn from a nationwide sample of patients seeking treatment for opioid use

disorder, demonstrated that posttreatment arrest increased the likelihood of substance use, but

the evidence suggested that this relationship was not reciprocal. These results have significant

implications for criminal justice practices with regard to using alternatives to arrest as methods

to minimize posttreatment substance use.

Keywords

opioid use disorder, treatment outcomes, arrest, diversion

Introduction

Opioid use in the United States has been significantly increasing over the course of the past

decade (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2016). Recent data demonstrate a

109% increase in use among emerging adults aged 18 to 25 years and a 58% increase among

adults 26 years and older (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). This dra-

matic rise has been observed in many parts of the country, which led the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services (2016) to officially declare an opioid epidemic. The surge in opioid

use has significantly affected communities, families, and public service providers in a number of

ways and represents a complicated set of issues which desperately require immediate attention

(Binswanger & Gordon, 2016).

1Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA

2Evince Clinical Assessments, Waynesville, NC, USA

Corresponding Author:

Albert M. Kopak, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Western Carolina University, 1 University Drive,

Cullowhee, NC 28723, USA.

Email: amkopak@wcu.edu

740911JODXXX10.1177/0022042617740911Journal of Drug IssuesKopak et al.

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